On Friday, January 30, 2026, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell) of the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Norway signed a contract worth 46 billion NOK with German company TKMS for the delivery of two additional Type 212CD (Common Design) submarines for the Royal Norwegian Navy (Sjøforsvaret). The agreement followed approval granted on January 16 by the Norwegian parliament (Storting) by a majority vote, after consultations within the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
Photos and image: FMI, TKMS
The contract was signed at Oslo Militære Samfund. As a result, the number of Type 212CD submarines for Norway will increase from four to six, and the program budget will rise from 52 billion NOK to 98 billion NOK.
German–Norwegian cooperation on the submarine construction program formally began on July 30, 2017. It was the outcome of Norway’s new submarine acquisition program launched in December 2014 (with conceptual work having started as early as 2007). In 2016, two offers were considered: the French proposal from DCNS (now Naval Group) featuring an improved Scorpène-class design, and the German proposal from TKMS with the Type 212CD – ultimately, the latter was selected. Formal negotiations began in 2020, and on March 23, 2021, the parties announced that a final agreement had been reached.
Germany initially ordered two submarines but later increased the order to six. As a result, the program will ultimately cover the construction of a total of 12 submarines for both countries. The first submarines were jointly ordered on June 8, 2021, for approximately 5.5 billion EUR, with two of them already under construction at TKMS’s shipyard in Kiel.
“With the new submarines, Norway and NATO will strengthen their combined ability to monitor, demonstrate presence, and deter in the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea, where we are seeing increased activity by Russian forces. This is a major and strategically important investment in our defense capability that will help make Norway safer in a turbulent time,” said Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik (Labour Party).
“We look forward to getting started on the work for the two additional submarines, and this is an important decision for Norway and a strategic boost for the Royal Norwegian Navy. Six submarines will provide Norway with a modern, flexible, and future-oriented capability that will strengthen both national security and NATO’s collective defense for decades to come,” said Gro Jære, Director of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell).
“A final approval now provides both predictability and clear parameters for project execution, while further strengthening the relationship with our German partners,” said the Director of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell).
CEO Oliver Burkhard emphasizes the importance of the German-Norwegian submarine program and the Norwegian order extension:
“With this strategically important and now growing project, we are making a decisive contribution to strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities and the relationship between the two countries. We are equally pleased about the continued trust placed in the quality of our work and products, as well as the existing partnership.”
U212CD
They will be equipped with new sensors, an improved air-independent propulsion (AIP) conventional system based on the HDW/Siemens PEM FC (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell), lithium-ion batteries, and the new Kongsberg ORCCA combat management system. The submarines will be 73 meters long, 10 meters in diameter, and 13 meters in overall height (including the sail), with an internal volume of 2,500 cubic meters. They will therefore be larger than the Type 212A submarines (length: 56 m for the first batch, 57.2 m for the second batch; diameter: 6.8 m). Maximum speed will exceed 20 knots.
The submarines will be fitted with Hensoldt OMS 150 and OMS 300 optronic masts featuring the i360°OS panoramic surveillance system; the SA9510S Mk II sonar for navigation and obstacle avoidance, including minefields; EM2040 Mil and EA640 echo sounders for near-seabed navigation; and four 533 mm launchers for DM2A4 heavyweight torpedoes and IDAS (Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines) missiles. The submarines will also receive the new ORCCA combat management system.
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